Tuesday, May 01, 2007

London & Amsterdam Photos

Mike and I are back from our trip to London and Amsterdam. We had so much fun, and we're already planning our next trip (and our next, and our next...) which is coming up in about a month if things go to plan. I always feel that deflating let-down when I return from traveling, but thankfully it usually passes quickly.

I am glad to be back to my blog, my kitchen and all the other blogs that it seems like I haven't read in ages! Before I come up with another food post, I want to share some of my vacation pics. If you want to know anything about the places we went, leave a comment or drop me an email.

Though food doesn't feature in too many of these photos, rest assured that we ate very well, and very inexpensively, the whole time (with the exception of a dismal quattro stagione pizza at a touristy Italian restaurant in London because we were starving). Forget what you've heard about London and especially Amsterdam not being great food cities. They're both brilliant! All you have to do is stay away from the tourist traps, do a little research and develop your tastiness radar.

I am about to eat this lovely pickled herring, a favorite dutch snack (contrary to popular belief, they don't swallow them whole). It has the texture of sushi, the pucker of a pickle and the flavor of, well, herring.

We had an awesome and deliciously new-to-us meal at this Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam right next to the flower market. You order one of several set menu options where you get rice and little portions of at least 8 different dishes, just like tapas--love that!

This is one of my very favorite places in London: the Millenium Bridge leading to the Tate Modern, one of the most original and stunning museums in the world.

The other side of the Millenium Bridge facing St. Paul's Cathedral across the Thames.

Me in front of Somerset House on the Strand where another favorite museum, the Courtauld Gallery is located. If you like Impressionism, do not miss this relatively small, but priceless collection of treasures by, most notably, Renoir, Degas and Manet.

Julie O'Hara Chicago, IL

Welcome! I'm a freelance recipe developer and writer for magazines like Shape, Clean Eating and National Geographic Traveler. View my work at julieoharawriter.com. I love your emails and comments--thanks for reading!